1868. Dareyavesh

Lexical Summary

Dareyavesh: Darius

Original Word: דֱּרְיָוֵשׁ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Daryavesh
Pronunciation: dar-yaw-VESH
Phonetic Spelling: (daw-reh-yaw-vaysh')
NASB: Darius
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H1867 (דָּרְיָוֵשׁ - Darius)]

1. Darius

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Darius

(Aramaic) corresponding to Dar'yavesh -- Darius.

see HEBREW Dar'yavesh

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to Dareyavesh
Definition
two Pers. kings
NASB Translation
Darius (15).

Topical Lexicon

Historical Identity and Context

The name Darius in the canonical Old Testament attaches to two distinct Persian rulers: Darius the Mede, who received the kingdom following Belshazzar’s fall (Daniel 5:31), and Darius I, son of Hystaspes, who reigned over the Achaemenid Empire from 522–486 BC and is featured in Ezra. Both kings function within redemptive history at pivotal moments: one immediately after the collapse of Babylon, the other during the restoration of the Temple.

Occurrences in Scripture

Fifteen verses in Ezra and Daniel reference Darius (Ezra 4:24; 5:5–7; 6:1, 12–15; Daniel 5:31; 6:1, 6, 9, 25, 28). Ezra’s passages pertain to Darius I, whereas Daniel’s relate to Darius the Mede. No canonical text equates the two, and their separate timelines accord with near-eastern records.

Darius I and the Second Temple

1. Authorizing Completion (Ezra 6:1–15).
• After hostile officials halted construction (Ezra 4:24), Jewish leaders appealed. Darius searched the archives and found Cyrus’s decree, validating the project.
• He commanded provincial treasuries to fund the work and supply sacrificial animals, grain, salt, wine, and oil (Ezra 6:8–10).
• “And the house was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius” (Ezra 6:15).
2. Protecting Covenant Worship.
• Darius warned that anyone altering his edict would have his house demolished and be “impaled on its timbers” (Ezra 6:11).
• The emperor thus safeguarded the re-established altar, foreshadowing Gentile support for Gospel advance (Isaiah 60:10).

Darius the Mede and the Deliverance of Daniel

1. Transition of Empires (Daniel 5:31).
• With Babylon’s sudden downfall, the “kingdom was given to Darius the Mede, who was about sixty-two years old.”
2. Administrative Reform (Daniel 6:1–2).
• Darius organized 120 satraps and three chief administrators, with Daniel foremost, highlighting divine favor toward godly exiles.
3. Daniel in the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6:6–24).
• Deceived by court intrigue, Darius sealed Daniel in the den yet declared, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (Daniel 6:16).
• Upon Daniel’s miraculous preservation, the king decreed: “In every part of my kingdom, men must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel” (Daniel 6:26).
4. Continuing Prosperity (Daniel 6:28).
• “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian,” demonstrating Yahweh’s sovereignty over changing powers.

Prophetic and Theological Significance

• Confirmation of Jeremiah’s Seventy-Year Prophecy. The rebuilding under Darius I aligns with the seventy-year exile period (Jeremiah 25:11–12; Daniel 9:2) and underscores the faithfulness of God’s promise to restore Judah.
• Typology of Gentile Kingship. Darius I’s patronage anticipates later Gentile aid to God’s people, culminating in the Magi seeking Israel’s Messiah (Matthew 2:1–12) and in countless non-Jewish converts to Christ.
• Sovereignty and Protection. Darius the Mede’s forced immersion in his own legal system (Daniel 6:14–18) contrasts with the unchanging decrees of the Most High, highlighting divine supremacy over human law and monarchy.

Lessons for Believers

1. God turns the hearts of kings (Proverbs 21:1). Whether through archival research in Persia or an anxious monarch fasting for a prophet, the Lord directs rulers to accomplish His redemptive plan.
2. Faithfulness amid Political Upheaval. Daniel’s integrity during regime change and the perseverance of the remnant in Ezra model steadfast obedience when cultural tides shift.
3. Worship Restored, Mission Advanced. The re-erected Temple under Darius I becomes a symbol of renewed communion with God, prefiguring Christ’s ultimate temple (John 2:19–21) and the believer’s mandate to proclaim reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–20).

Summary

Darius, appearing in separate historical figures, embodies divine orchestration within imperial structures: one king guarding the prophet who revealed the Ancient of Days, the other underwriting the sanctuary preparing for Messiah’s advent. Their accounts assure readers that every throne on earth is subordinate to the everlasting throne of God.

Forms and Transliterations

דָּֽרְיָ֔וֶשׁ דָּרְיָ֑וֶשׁ דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁ דָּרְיָ֖וֶשׁ דָּרְיָ֣וֶשׁ דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ דָּרְיָ֧וֶשׁ דָרְיָ֙וֶשׁ֙ דריוש וְדָרְיָ֔וֶשׁ וְדָרְיָ֙וֶשׁ֙ ודריוש לְדָרְיָ֣וֶשׁ לְדָרְיָ֥וֶשׁ לדריוש dā·rə·yā·weš ḏā·rə·yā·weš dareYavesh dārəyāweš ḏārəyāweš lə·ḏā·rə·yā·weš ledareYavesh ləḏārəyāweš vedareYavesh wə·ḏā·rə·yā·weš wəḏārəyāweš

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 4:24
HEB: תַּרְתֵּ֔ין לְמַלְכ֖וּת דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־ פָּרָֽס׃
NAS: of the reign of Darius king
KJV: of the reign of Darius king
INT: the second of the reign of Darius king of Persia

Ezra 5:5
HEB: עַד־ טַעְמָ֖א לְדָרְיָ֣וֶשׁ יְהָ֑ךְ וֶאֱדַ֛יִן
NAS: could come to Darius, and then
KJV: came to Darius: and then
INT: until the matter to Darius came and then

Ezra 5:6
HEB: נַהֲרָ֑ה עַל־ דָּרְיָ֖וֶשׁ מַלְכָּֽא׃
NAS: the River, sent to Darius the king.
KJV: sent unto Darius the king:
INT: the River unto to Darius the king

Ezra 5:7
HEB: כְּתִ֣יב בְּגַוֵּ֔הּ לְדָרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מַלְכָּ֖א שְׁלָמָ֥א
NAS: thus: To Darius the king,
KJV: thus; Unto Darius the king,
INT: written wherein to Darius the king peace

Ezra 6:1
HEB: בֵּאדַ֛יִן דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מַלְכָּ֖א שָׂ֣ם
NAS: Then King Darius issued a decree,
KJV: Then Darius the king made
INT: Then Darius King issued

Ezra 6:12
HEB: בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם אֲנָ֤ה דָרְיָ֙וֶשׁ֙ שָׂ֣מֶת טְעֵ֔ם
NAS: in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued
KJV: I Darius have made
INT: Jerusalem I Darius have issued decree

Ezra 6:13
HEB: דִּֽי־ שְׁלַ֞ח דָּרְיָ֧וֶשׁ מַלְכָּ֛א כְּנֵ֖מָא
NAS: just as King Darius had sent.
KJV: according to that which Darius the king
INT: forasmuch had sent Darius King so

Ezra 6:14
HEB: וּמִטְּעֵם֙ כּ֣וֹרֶשׁ וְדָרְיָ֔וֶשׁ וְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֖שְׂתְּא מֶ֥לֶךְ
NAS: of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes
KJV: of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes
INT: to the command of Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes king

Ezra 6:15
HEB: שֵׁ֔ת לְמַלְכ֖וּת דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מַלְכָּֽא׃ פ
NAS: of the reign of King Darius.
KJV: year of the reign of Darius the king.
INT: it was the sixth of the reign Darius of King

Daniel 5:31
HEB: וְדָרְיָ֙וֶשׁ֙ [מָדָיָא כ]
NAS: So Darius the Mede received
KJV: And Darius the Median took
INT: Darius Median received

Daniel 6:1
HEB: שְׁפַר֙ קֳדָ֣ם דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁ וַהֲקִים֙ עַל־
NAS: It seemed good to Darius to appoint
KJV: It pleased Darius to set over
INT: be acceptable before Darius to set over

Daniel 6:6
HEB: אָמְרִ֣ין לֵ֔הּ דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מַלְכָּ֖א לְעָלְמִ֥ין
NAS: King Darius, live
KJV: unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
INT: follows and spoke Darius King forever

Daniel 6:9
HEB: דְּנָ֑ה מַלְכָּא֙ דָּֽרְיָ֔וֶשׁ רְשַׁ֥ם כְּתָבָ֖א
NAS: King Darius signed
KJV: king Darius signed
INT: time King Darius signed the document

Daniel 6:25
HEB: בֵּאדַ֜יִן דָּרְיָ֣וֶשׁ מַלְכָּ֗א כְּ֠תַב
NAS: Then Darius the king wrote
KJV: Then king Darius wrote unto all
INT: Then Darius the king wrote

Daniel 6:28
HEB: הַצְלַ֖ח בְּמַלְכ֣וּת דָּרְיָ֑וֶשׁ וּבְמַלְכ֖וּת כּ֥וֹרֶשׁ
NAS: in the reign of Darius and in the reign
KJV: in the reign of Darius, and in the reign
INT: enjoyed the reign of Darius the reign of Cyrus

15 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1868
15 Occurrences

dā·rə·yā·weš — 11 Occ.
lə·ḏā·rə·yā·weš — 2 Occ.
wə·ḏā·rə·yā·weš — 2 Occ.